Guru Deshpande is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and distributor, primarily known for his work in the Kannada film industry (Sandalwood). He has been active in the industry since 2008.
Career
Direction
Guru Deshpande made his directorial debut in 2008 with the film Varasdhara. He gained significant recognition with his second directorial venture, Raja Huli (2013), starring Yash and Meghana Raj. The film was released on Kannada Rajyotsava in 2013, received a strong opening at the box office, completed a 119-day theatrical run, and was declared a blockbuster. It completed Yash's hat-trick of successes following Drama and Googly.
In 2014, he announced Rudratandava starring Chiranjeevi Sarja and Radhika Kumaraswamy, which was released in February 2015 to mixed reviews. His subsequent directorial works include the comedy-drama John Jani Janardhan (2016) with Ajay Rao and Yogesh, Samhaara (2018), and Padde Huli (2019), which launched producer K. Manju's son Shreyas Manju.
Production House and Film School
After two decades in the Kannada film industry, Deshpande turned producer by launching his banner G Cinemas in 2019. The first film under this banner was Gentleman (2020), a crime-action film starring Prajwal Devaraj and Nishvika Naidu, written and directed by Jadesh Kumar Hampi. The film's trailer was released by Puneeth Rajkumar and Dhruva Sarja. Deshpande also launched Love You Racchu (2021) starring Ajay Rao and Rachita Ram, and Pentagon (2023), an anthology film co-produced by Kaushik Izardar, in which he directed the segment Karma.
In 2019, Deshpande founded G Academy, an Institute of Cinema and Entertainment in Bengaluru, with notable Sandalwood directors such as Dayal Padmanabhan, "Jatta" Giriraj, Satyaprakash, and "Bahaddur" Chethan Kumar serving as faculty.
Personal Life
Guru Deshpande married Shilpa Deshpande in 2004, and they have a son. Shilpa made her film debut under the screen name Pritika Deshpande in the anthology film Pentagon.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Direction | Producer | Writer | Actor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Varasdhara | Yes | No | Screenplay | Yes | |
| 2013 | Raja Huli | Yes | No | Screenplay | No | |
| 2015 | Rudra Tandava | Yes | No | Screenplay | No | |
| 2016 | John Jani Janardhan | Yes | No | Screenplay | Yes | |
| 2018 | Samhaara | Yes | No | Screenplay | No | |
| 2019 | Padde Huli | Yes | No | Screenplay | Yes | |
| 2020 | Gentleman | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 2021 | Love You Rachchu | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 2022 | Ombattane Dikku | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 2023 | Pentagon | Yes | Yes | Creative Head | No | Anthology film; segment Karma |
| 2025 | Thackeray † | Yes | No | Screenplay | No | Yet to be released |
